Pope receives praise for condom reversal

Pope Benedict's reappraisal of the Catholic church's absolute ban on condoms has been met with approval around the world

Pope Benedict XVI has reversed decades of Roman Catholic teaching on condoms (Alberto Pizzoli)
The Pope’s “volte-face” on the Roman Catholic ban on condoms was welcomed by
politicians, religious reformers, human rights campaigners and sexual health
charities, today. In a ground-breaking interview in a new book, Pope
Benedict XVI says that condoms are justified in some cases, such as male
prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of Aids.

The comments, revealed in the Sunday Times, reverse decades of Roman Catholic
teaching against as contraception as a sin.

The church’s strong opposition was seen an a key obstacle in promoting
contraception in third world countries as means of reducing the spread of
HIV and Aids. Andy Burnham, shadow education secretary and one of the UK’s
highest-profile Catholic politicians, welcomed the news.

He said: “The Church has had an unsustainable position on the use of condoms,
particularly in Africa. “If this is the first sign of a change I would
welcome it.”